Stop Gasoline Thieves

HAVE YOU NOTICED that some Lubbock self-serve gasoline stations are now requiring customers to pay in advance before the gasoline pumps are activated?

It brings a mildly annoying delay to the routine chore of filling up a gas tank, but the gasoline retailer has a good reason for requiring the payment up front: gasoline thieves.

The type of theft where a crook fills up at a self-serve pump and races off without paying for the fuel has, not surprisingly, gotten worse as gasoline prices have gotten higher. Lubbock police report that gas-and-dash thefts in the past three months have nearly doubled the frequency of the crime last year.

The thieves are taking a foolish risk of getting a criminal record, even if it is a misdemeanor one, in exchange for a free tank of gasoline. It is not worth the risk, but most of the thieves are probably young people who are not considering the consequences of their acts.

And a stolen tank of gasoline may be free to the thief but has to be paid for by someone. Part of the price that legitimate customers pay covers the costs of such thefts.

Gasoline retailers are taking steps to protect themselves, including installing video cameras and taking photographs of license plates. We hope such measures serve as a deterrent and help to solve gasoline thefts.

But we will bet that the law passed by the state of Kansas will be more effective at stopping gasoline thefts than any security measures. Under the law, people who are repeatedly caught stealing gasoline can lose their driver's licenses.

Establishing a penalty that causes would-be lawbreakers to say, "It is not worth it," is always a good deterrent to crime. Texas should consider enacting such a law to hinder thefts.